The present invention relates generally to the field of microelectronics, and more particularly to protecting air bearing microelectronic surfaces from corrosion.
Metal surfaces that are exposed to air are at risk of corrosion damage due to corrosive agents in the environment. For microelectronic structures, even small amounts of corrosion can lead to a failure of any device that includes air bearing surfaces. For example, magnetic tape hardware or hardware for accessing other magnetic media typically include air bearing tape reader and tape writer devices incorporated into a read and/or write head. While protective coatings are available for some applications, such coatings may wear off leaving a device surface exposed to air. Tape read/write heads may include various air-exposed devices. Use of such devices often must be restricted to a highly controlled environment, such as a climate-regulated data center. For applications where it is necessary to have less controlled conditions, engineers continue to face challenges in adequately protecting from corrosion tape reader and tape writer devices as well as other air bearing microelectronic surfaces.